Spanish Title: Asociación entre factores socioeconómicos y el índice de masa corporal en preescolares de bajos ingresos de una institución educativa de Floridablanca, Colombia

Abstract

We determined the association between socioeconomic factors and body mass index z-score (BMIZ) in preschoolers from the Colombo-German Foundation from Floridablanca, Colombia. Height and weight were measured in a random sample of 112 preschool children aged 2-5 years of age; their parents or care-giver answered a survey. The multiple generalized linear models showed in the whole sample that BMIZ significantly decreased with household’s socioeconomic strata 1 and 2 compared with strata zero, and in high-income families. In girls, BMIZ significantly increased when another family member, neighbor, or friend was responsible for deciding about feeding on weekdays. In boys, BMIZ increased when they ate alone and when their grandmother was responsible for preparing food on weekdays. It is conceded that socioeconomic factors influencing BMIZ are similar to those that influence health inequity.

Keywords: Socioeconomic factors, risk factors, body mass index, pediatric obesity.